The traphiche emerald was the rarest type of emerald. Even Zaffino had never seen one in the year since he had started this raw stone trading center. He was beside himself with excitement, instructing his staff, "This is a cause for celebration! Hurry, set off some fireworks and buy ads on all the social media platforms!"To him, this would be the best advertisement. If someone found a traphiche emerald here, word would get out that his stones were of the highest quality. Many wealthy customers would flock here to gamble on the stones. He could already see his business flourishing! Elio asked Yvonne to give the technician who cut the stone a thousand-dollar tip. With a bit more cutting and polish, they unearthed two crystal-clear traphiche emeralds, one bigger than the other. Their color flickered slightly in the light, regal and elegant.Zaffino immediately stated his price. He offered three million for the bigger stone and two million for the smaller one. Elio thought that was a
Everyone looked at each other in disbelief. Who was he calling trash?Elio was the lucky star who just found trapiche emeralds! Judging by his performance earlier, he was definitely an expert in finding gems.Yvonne exploded before Elio even said anything. To her, Elio was the god of fortune who earned her five million dollars, her most precious benefactor! She could not let anyone insult him like that.Her expression cold, she said, “Are you mad, Charlie Jones? I'm the one who brought Elio here. This has nothing to do with you! No one will mind if you just shut up for a bit.”Elio stayed silent. Since someone was already defending him, he might as well save his breath and energy. He was not thrilled with Charlie either, of course. Even if his position in the Jones family was negligible, Charlie had no right to treat him like that. Still, revenge was a dish best served cold.Charlie did not expect Yvonne to fight him over Elio, so he awkwardly said, “Forget it. A real gentleman ne
Charlie did not expect Elio to participate in the bidding and compete with them for the raw stone, causing its price to rise even further. He frowned and barked, "What are you doing? You're just a good-for-nothing peasant. You don't even have a thousand dollars in your account. This auction has nothing to do with you. Fuck off!"Elio did not even bother to reply. Beside him, Yvonne shouted back furiously, "Shut up! Elio is my representative. Even if he doesn't have money, I have plenty. He can bid as much as he wants. I'll take care of the rest!""Don't waste your breath on them. We have to get this raw stone, no matter how much it costs." Josh nudged Charlie with his elbow and whispered.Charlie nodded and made up his mind. How could he let his useless cousin-in-law steal the spotlight? Never in a million years! He shouted, "1.8 million!"Everyone could see that the two young heirs were going against Yvonne and Elio, and they could see the bloodbath coming. Everyone else probably
He was still hung up over the hundred thousand he had lost to Elio earlier. He had to get back at Elio for that humiliation right away."You're right. Let's go," Charlie said.The two young heirs happily swiped their cards and paid for the stone. Once it was officially theirs, they had it cut open on the spot. Everyone crowded around the cutting station. After all, that stone cost a whopping 3.6 million dollars. It was the biggest sale in the history of the trading center.After a while, the stone was finally cut open. Everyone looked at the two halves and exploded into whispers. The result was truly unexpected."What's going on? There isn't anything inside at all. I can't believe it!""Is it a bust? The stone worth 3.6 million dollars is a bust?!"Elio's lips curled into a smile. He had already guessed this would happen. It was just as he had expected."Oh my god, it really is a bust!" Yvonne squeezed Elio's arm hard, her voice trembling with excitement. If he had not stopped h
It was now five o'clock in the afternoon in the most upscale restaurant in Cloudsea City. There were only a few diners, and a blonde man was playing the luxurious grand piano in the center of the dining hall. The melodious music made for a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere.The waiters were all wearing snow-white shirts and smart bow ties. Their service was meticulous and impeccable. Of course, the cost of dining here was also extremely high. Most ordinary people would never set foot here.Elio and Yvonne sat facing each other by the window, savoring the fine dining dishes and sipping some red wine. This was the life!Elio was dressed a bit too casually compared to the other guests in their fancy suits and dresses. His T-shirt had also gotten dirty when he grabbed the stone earlier, but there was still an unmistakable elegance in the way he ate right now.His outfit aside, he had the aura of a blue-blooded noble. His mannerisms were definitely unlike that of a pretentious nouveau riche.
After a while, Elio heard the sound of a notification coming from his pocket. He took out his dingy old phone and glanced at it. "I got the money." His phone was old and worn. It had been Evelyn's at first, then she had given it to her mother. It was only after the screen cracked that it wound up in Elio's hands. Yvonne was starting to think Elio was one of those hidden geniuses she read about in novels. Intrigued, she said with a smile, "Since you're already married, may I be your new best friend?""Sure, if you want," Elio replied with a laugh. After all, Yvonne was straightforward and sincere, a woman after his own heart. "Then don't just give your wife a gift. Give me one too! I don't care how much it costs. Today is my birthday, after all," Yvonne said with a smile."Are you for real? Is it really such a coincidence?" Elio was somewhat disbelieving."Of course it's for real. If you don't believe me, I'll invite you to my birthday party tonight," Yvonne said seriously."N
After the two of them left the restaurant, Yvonne personally drove her Ferrari down the street. She was afraid to let Elio drive right now because his driving style was rather "exhilarating". She had just eaten, so she could not stomach such intense driving just yet.Traffic was relatively slow, so the Ferrari cruised along. Yvonne turned to Elio with a smile. "Hey, Elio, you don't have a job, do you? Why don't you become my secretary? The working hours are negotiable. You'll have a lot of freedom, and I'll give you a considerable salary. What do you think?"Many young rookies could only dream of becoming this beautiful young chairwoman's private secretary. The daily eye candy alone would be worth it, setting aside any other potential benefits.Elio shook his head and declined her offer. "Maybe not. I'm pretty busy.""Seriously?" Yvonne rolled her eyes at him. "What are you busy with? Getting scolded by your mother-in-law? She called you a lazy, good-for-nothing layabout. You shoul
There was a whole row of watch shops, including brands like Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe. They drove straight up to the front of the Richard Miller specialty store. Just then, a Mercedes-Benz was driving away, leaving a parking space open for Yvonne.As soon as she stopped the car, Yvonne's phone rang. Elio said, "You should take the call first. I'll look around the store."Her best friend's number was on the phone screen, so Yvonne nodded. "Okay, go pick one first. I'll join you later."Elio got out of the car and walked into the shop. There were very few customers inside. After all, this brand was quite expensive and catered only to a certain crowd. Their usual clientele consisted of rich second-generation heirs.A man and a woman stood in front of the counter nearby. The balding middle-aged man wore a flowery T-shirt and a thick gold around his neck. He looked like the quintessential nouveau riche, perhaps even someone with some underworld connections
"What?" Charlie's anger boiled over, his face turning bright red as he yelled, "This is too much! I want to see your chairman! He needs to apologize, or he'll regret it when I trash this place!"Laird gave a cold snort, grabbed the ready walkie-talkie, and called out, "Security, get in here, quick! We've got someone trying to wreck the place."In a flash, four security guards in black suits rushed into the room, grabbed Charlie, and marched him right out the door.The poor Jones family heir thought he could throw his weight around, but instead, he got a beating from the guards and ended up tossed outside, his suit torn and his face a mess of bruises.He tried to get up, wanting to shout insults, but the angry stares from the guards scared him silent. He scrambled into his Audi and sped away.Afterward, General Manager Howe filled in the chairman on what had happened. Elio could not help but feel a rush of glee. 'Charlie, you think you can take me on? Look where that got you!' Elio
That night, the news about the Aerin Group taking on the shanty town makeover project was all over the Cloudsea TV show. It shook up the whole business world in the city. Bosses from real estate and construction companies were all on the phone, trying to get the scoop.The Aerin Group was pretty new and not well-known in Cloudsea. Now, all of a sudden, it was the talk of the town. The big project that everyone wanted had somehow ended up with them, and it was really weird.The project to fix up the old town was massive, and lots of companies wanted to work on it. If they got even a piece of the job, they would be rolling in dough. So, they all rushed to make connections, hoping to meet with the big boss of Evamor Group to talk business.What surprised all the big shots was that nobody knew a thing about the boss of Evamor. It was like a big secret. Clearly, that person liked staying out of the spotlight, pulling strings from behind the curtain.Who would have guessed that this amaz
York nodded non-stop, apologizing. "Got it. Please forgive me. I'm really sorry."With the bill canceled, Elio felt they had done enough. "Let's call it even. Time to go."They walked out, heads high, leaving the staff and the hostesses in awe. York sat on the couch, face grim, and gulped down the fake Louis XIII. It was liquor from some other brand, cleverly resealed to look like the fancy stuff. It tasted pretty good, and hardly anyone could tell it was not the real deal. However, somehow, that kid figured it out. Who was he, anyway?York was fuming. Ever since his shop opened, he had sold bottle after bottle of this top-notch liquor to all sorts of important people, and no one had ever called him out. Now, some nobody had caught him."That little troublemaker, causing a scene in my shop," he grumbled. "Just you wait. I'll take care of you."As the boss was getting worked up and ready to get even, one of the girls spoke up, "That Mr. Rinz seems pretty impressive. I heard he even
York asked with a friendly smile, "I don't think I've met this young man before. Can someone introduce him?"Yvonne replied with a grin, "This is Mr. Rinz, a dear friend of ours. He's the one who wanted to meet you."York did not know Elio's story, and he looked like an average guy. However, he had ordered three bottles of the fancy Louis XIII cognac and seemed to be friends with some pretty important people, including a famous TV beauty. York could not help but be impressed."Really? I'm super honored and happy to meet you, Mr. Rinz. Hope you'll come to hang out with us more," York said with a big smile. He's the kind of guy who knew just what to say and was ready to shake hands, showing lots of respect. However, Elio did not reach out his hand at all, which made York's smile disappear, and he felt really annoyed inside.Elio just frowned and said, "I think once is enough for this place." Yvonne and the others exchanged puzzled looks. They had no clue why Elio was upset and wh
"You think you can hit me and get away with it? I could ruin your family in an instant. Now, get out of here, do you hear me?" Tanner yelled at her."You..." Fear flickered in May's eyes. She was too scared to argue, worried about what he might do to her.Jenny let out a sigh, went over to help her friend up, and whispered, "Let's just go. We can't stand up to him. We've just got to deal with this bad luck."May knew the truth. She and Jenny might come from money, but they were nothing compared to Tanner's powerful family. What could she do? If she pushed him too far, she was afraid he might make her disappear for good.May had no choice but to follow her best friend, looking all messy and upset. She did not think she would end up like that, feeling so angry. She was mad at Tanner for messing with her feelings and even madder at Elio, thinking he had a big part in her troubles.The room was super quiet; no one wanted to talk. Tanner was in a bad mood—he got tricked by someone not
As Evelyn's figure vanished from view, May frowned deeply and sneered, "She's so hopeless. She can't even handle her husband. Being a woman like that is just embarrassing.""Come on, don't be so hard on her," Jenny said. "Evelyn's got guts. She was ready to divorce Elio to stand up for what's right. Friends like her are rare.""Hmph, what good does that do? She still didn't get the stuff back. I really thought she could handle that jerk, but it was a waste," May said, not hiding her scorn."May, just a heads-up," Jenny lowered her voice, "the divorce might be good for Evelyn, but it puts you at risk. I've noticed Tanner looking her way a lot. Be careful."May felt a chill, sensing trouble, but she pushed back, "No way. Tanner told me he only loves me. You're just worrying too much."Jenny could tell what her best friend was thinking but kept it to herself. "Okay, let's just say I didn't mention anything. Let's head back."In the private room, Tanner was eager to hear the news. Wh
Jenny and May were shocked, staring at each other and not knowing what to do.The couple was at a breaking point. May felt a rush of panic. Did that mean she would never get back the fancy watch and the big Benz? She quickly pulled on Evelyn's arm, trying to tell her friend not to say things she could not take back. However, it was too late."That's for the best," Evelyn snapped. "From now on, we're nothing to each other.""Let's just hope we're both happy from here on out," Elio said, trying to sound indifferent. However, inside, it felt like a thousand needles were poking his heart.Evelyn did not look back. She turned and walked away fast, a cold air swirling around her.Jenny and May ran after her, calling out, "Evelyn, wait up!""Don't leave, wait for us!"Evelyn felt a heavy sadness. They had been married for three years, together every day. To say she felt nothing would be a lie. Even though she never really respected Elio, going their separate ways was still hard to take
The Seven Fairies Team was a tough bunch, and except for Helen, each one had fought their way to success in the cutthroat world of business. They were not about to let anyone push them around.With a loud "smack," Jenny's cheek stung from a fierce slap. She let out a sharp cry and glared at Yvonne. "Ouch! How dare you hit me?""You insult us, and you think a slap is too much?" Yvonne spat back, her teeth clenched in anger.May was not lucky, either. She, too, got slapped, leaving a bright red mark on her face. Lydia, who did it, shouted at her, "Who are you calling names, huh?"Jenny and May were no pushovers, but now, with their cheeks burning from the slaps and surrounded by a group of fierce-looking girls, they were boiling with rage inside. Yet, they did not dare to strike back, appearing utterly defeated and powerless.It was not the super-tough opponents they needed to worry about. It was the teammates who messed everything up!Evelyn had been sure she could get back those
The women finally got it—the beautiful woman was Elio's wife. Yarely and the others stood up for a better look.A bunch of girls with eyes as wide as saucers were watching everything unfold, each one silently agreeing that Evelyn was the picture of perfection. It was no surprise that Master Rinz could keep his cool, even with all those stunning girls around him.Evelyn scanned the room, and it hit her—they were all gorgeous girls, and Elio was the only boy. It was just like the old saying: he was the lone rooster in the henhouse.When Yvonne tried to be friendly, Evelyn was not having any of it. She huffed, "Forget it. I just need to talk to Elio about something private. I'll be out of your hair in no time."That made Evelyn seem super stuck-up and hard to talk to. Yarely and the others felt put off, so they just sat back down on the couch.They were all tough cookies, top dogs in their own right. If she was going to act all high and mighty, why would they want to hang out with he